I like the middle, I guess. In everything. I don't like the edges on a slice of cake. I like to eat, but I don't like to cook or do dishes. I love a fun destination, but I don't always enjoy the travel to and from that place. I love to have friends, but I'm wary of meeting new people, and I hate saying "good-bye." I dread starting a project, and I rarely finish anything, but I love that time in the midst, when you're just knitting away, or painting, or cleaning. Getting started is the hardest part, seeing it through even worse.
Right now, in my writing life, I'm nowhere near the middle. Of anything. Here's where I am.
Later this summer, my e-novella An Offering releases--a sweet, short story that introduces a character from my novel Loving Luther, which releases in September. A month ago, I sent in the manuscript for another novel, and I'm waiting on pins and needles to hear back from my editors to know if I have any reason to be on pins and needles. Meanwhile, during moments of clarity, I'm scratching notes on a legal pad trying to rein in ideas for my next novel (or two...or three), and wondering if I'll ever get my sweet little Young Adult venture published, or if I want to take another stab at a fun Christmas novella.
Oh, and arranging book signings for Luther.
And marking my calendar for the promotion of An Offering.
And researching the San Antonio missions for one novel idea.
And plotting a Christmas novella that would coincide with Texas High School Football.
And emailing with history/government experts to chart the next YA adventure.
And re-reading a classic for yet another historical proposal.
and...and...and
Writing, my friends, is work. It's exhausting and exhilarating...but it's work. The creative side of my brain, the side that can settle down with an idea and bring it to some kind of transferrable life thrives in those moment when it's just me and the keyboard and Twizzlers. Everything else--everything that happens before and after the book---is a challenge.
I can't wait to be in the middle of something again. The middle of chatting about Loving Luther with readers who have read and (hopefully) loved it. The middle of edits on Seamstress--next summer's release. The middle of finding stories and whittling ideas.
Here, the edges...just makes me nervous.
